Worth the hassle

It took a long time, almost 10 hours by bus to travel to our first destination on the tour, the small town of Fussen in Germany, but very close to the Austrian border. The decision was made to travel by bus from Hamilton to the continent partly because there are 19 curlers and we have so much to carry for two weeks, but mainly due to the cost of hiring a bus and driver on the continent; it was cheaper to take a bus with driver from Scotland. We'll travel to a different ice-rink each day so we need our own transport.

The scenery from our balcony is stunning with beautiful views of lakes and mountains. The hotel is typical of the area with beautiful flower boxes outside.

The oldest fresco in Germany can be found in the crypt of St Mang's Basilica, which can be seen in the background of the blip. It dates back to about the year 980. St Mang's Feast Day (6 September) is commemorated with a Holy Mass followed by a procession by torchlight through the old part of the city. During the week of the Saint's Feast a special 'Magnus Wine' is sold, with only 500 bottles produced.